Two teams end their long Final Four droughts on Saturday when the Baylor Bears and Houston Cougars collide in the semifinals of the 2021 NCAA Tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. The Bears (26-2) are making their first appearance in the semifinal since 1950. They are looking to reach the title game for just the second time in program history. Meanwhile the Cougars (28-3) have returned to the Final Four for the first time since 1984. That year they lost to Georgetown in the championship game. The winner of the semifinal will advance to Monday's championship game to face either Gonzaga or UCLA.
Tip-off is set for 5:14 p.m. ET on CBS. The Bears are favored by five points in the latest Baylor vs. Houston odds from William Hill Sportsbook, while the over-under for total points scored is set at 134.5. Before locking in any Houston vs. Baylor picks, you need to check out the 2021 March Madness Final Four predictions from SportsLine's Josh Nagel.
A Nevada-based handicapper with more than 20 years of experience in the sports wagering industry, Nagel has had a particularly keen eye for the Bears. He is 14-4 with his last 18 against-the-spread college basketball picks involving Baylor, earning a profit of $968. Anyone who has followed him is way up.
Now, he has set his sights on Baylor vs. Houston in the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament 2021. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several college basketball odds and trends for Houston vs. Baylor:
- Baylor vs. Houston spread: Bears -5
- Baylor vs. Houston over-under: 134.5 points
- Baylor vs. Houston money line: Bears -220, Cougars +180
- BU: Team leads country in 3-point field goal percentage (41.1)
- UH: Cougars lead nation in field goal percentage defense (37.3)
Why Baylor can cover
Guard Jared Butler is having an All-America season. The 6-foot-3 junior from Reserve, La., leads the Big 12 in steals per game (2.0) and ranks third in the conference in assists per game (4.8) and points per game (16.5), fourth in 3-pointers made per game (2.5) and fifth in field goal percentage (46.7) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.62). For his efforts this season he was selected as one of five finalists for the Wooden Award.
In addition, Baylor is one of the most efficient offensive teams in the country. According to Kenpom.com, the Bears score 123.0 points per 100 possessions, which ranks third in the country. They also score 83.0 points per game, which ranks sixth.
Why Houston can cover
Houston defends at an elite level. The Cougars allow opponents to shoot just 37.3 percent from the field, which leads the country. They also give up just 57.6 points per game, which ranks second.
In addition, Houston plays at one of the slowest tempos in the nation. According to Kenpom.com, the Cougars rank 328th in the country (out of 357 teams) in tempo. Their m.o. is to play deliberately and grind opponents down. That style of play will benefit them against a Baylor team that prefers to play at a much faster pace.
How to make Baylor vs. Houston picks
Nagel is leaning under on the total and he's found a critical X-factor that has him jumping all over one side of the spread. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Baylor vs. Houston? And which critical X-factor makes one side hit hard? Visit SportsLine right now to see which side of the spread you need to jump on, all from expert who has crushed his college basketball picks.
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April 02, 2021 at 08:31PM
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2021 NCAA Tournament Final Four odds: Houston vs. Baylor picks, March Madness predictions from proven expert - CBS Sports
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